After researching the history of the Vietnam War, I called my mum and asked her if she knew anyone who went to Vietnam that I could interview. She thought for a while and suddenly remembered that she has a cousin who is a veteran of the Vietnam War.
She says, “I know him since I was little. He was one of the greatest athletes of the school. You cannot imagine how good and fast he was. Well, he was ranked number 18 in the country for being an outstanding track and field runner. But now, those things are only memories.”
I called him and introduced myself. He was in an agreeable mood at the beginning, but as soon as I began to question him, his attitude changed. “What happened in Vietnam?” I asked. There was a moment of silence on the other line, and then he said he was willing to tell me about Vietnam.
He said that he was drafted when he was 20 years old and that the two years later he spent there a part of his life he would rather forget. He said, “The problem is that you will never imagine how much suffering and pain I saw in that place.” There is not one book or article that can really describe the human disaster that took place there. There is nothing worse in this world than killing a man who you know has a family. It is very sad, but it is the truth, and it turns more complex when you realize you were part of that truth.
When I returned to Puerto Rico, it was a total disaster: young kids without fathers, wives without husbands. Most of those who made it back have no legs, like me, or no arms. I was praised because of my bravery, but for me, that was and is pure nonsense, because that war decided my future, decided the future of my family. I, now, am just a veteran who has nothing.
The thing that bothers me the most is that the people who decided to fight will probably never know that it is likely to kill a man, or feel pain and suffering from hunger and the absence of love. In war, every minute you are fearing because the only thing you have in your mind is that if you don’t kill first you are going to get killed.
【小题1】Why did the author’s mother say “Those things are only memories”?| A．Because she would rather keep what happened in the past as a secret. |
| B．Because her cousin is no longer a vigorous young man. |
| C．Because though her cousin was a good runner, he lost his leg during the war. |
| D．Because time passed quickly and she can’t remember much of the past days. |
| A．Books and articles all presented a false picture of the war. |
| B．It takes mental strength to survive the war. |
| C．The sufferings during the war greatly damaged the memory of soldiers, |
| D．The author’s uncle felt very painful when he realized the truth of the war. |
| A．Because praises came too late. |
| B．Because no praise could make up for his loss. |
| C．Because he didn’t kill anyone during the war. |
| D．Because too many praises seemed worthless. |
